Tropical Storm Francisco, soon to be typhoon, heads for Japan

Storm forecast to hit Kyushu before Tuesday, Aug. 6

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A tropical storm, dubbed Francisco, has taken shape over the Northwest Pacific Ocean, and is expected to reach typhoon status before making landfall in Japan in the next few days.

The Weather Channel forecasts that Tropical Storm Francisco will reach Kyushu sometime before Tuesday (Aug. 6), likely early Monday evening. On Friday night, the storm was located about 1060 km southeast of Iwo-Jima Island, and headed northwest at about 19 km per hour.

The storm already has sustained winds of over 70 km per hour, and is expected to gain momentum on its approach towards southern Japan. Depending on the exact trajectory and strength of the storm, it may also hit South Korea.

By the time it is expected to hit Japan, Francisco may reach sustained winds of over 150 km per hour, reports Phys.org. This year has been “uncommonly calm” compared to most, with the last typhoon to hit the region being Wutip, a super typhoon that appeared in February and struck Guam and Micronesia as a Category Four storm, reports the Weather Channel.